JEFFERSON CITY – Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist missions and ministries through the Cooperative Program (CP) are showing strong support at the national level — and in Missouri.
According to Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee President Frank Page, CP giving through Nov. 30 is up 7.59 percent over the same period last year. Here in Missouri, CP giving through Nov. 30 is $13,239,994, up $337,986 or 2.62 percent, over the same period in 2011.
The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ method of supporting missions and ministry efforts of state and regional conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention. CP includes total undesignated receipts from individuals, churches, state conventions and fellowships for distribution according to the 2012-13 SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget.
“I am greatly encouraged at this positive report,” said Page. “It is too early to speculate whether this is a sign that our ‘1% Challenge’ is beginning to make an impact, is the result of an improvement in the economic prospects of our people and churches, is the effect of the state conventions that are moving closer to a 50/50 division between the state portion and the SBC portion of the Cooperative Program, or is merely the timing of the monthly gifts from the churches and state. Whatever the cause, I am thankful for this increase in gifts through CP.”
Rob Phillips, communications team leader for the MBC, agreed.
“We are so encouraged by the faithful stewardship of Missouri Baptists,” he said. “As we raise awareness through the state of the unique and precious treasure we have in cooperative giving through CP, our people are responding through their generous support of missions in Missouri, throughout North America and around the world.”
A recent CP survey conducted by LifeWay Research showed that 7 percent of SBC pastors nationwide have accepted the “1% Challenge”– a challenge to increase a church’s giving to CP by 1 percent– in their churches this year, with another 8 percent of pastors planning to lead their churches to accept the challenge in the next budget year.]